The Tribune

By SPENCE FINLAYSON

“Whatever you do , you need courage, whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

About nine years ago, while vacationing in Los Angeles, California, I had an opportunity to make full use of a GPS system in my rental car. I took my family for a wonderful, exciting eight-day holiday in the land of the stars. My wife wanted to hit all of the famous and not so famous shopping malls, while my daughter was dying to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios and the homes of the stars in Beverly Hills.

Well, with the assistance of the GPS we were able to accomplish all of our individual and collective goals. My favourite singing group in the whole world, the tempting Temptations, were performing in Palmdale, California, about three and a half hours drive from Los Angeles. We punched in the Palmdale Amphitheatre in the GPS and we were on our way. This magnificent piece of technology took us right to the concert venue without a hitch, where we were able to visit the Temptations in their dressing room before the show began. Bill Bannister, the Temptations’ road manager, allowed my wife and I to chat with the members of the group. We had a blast! This was my fifth time seeing them perform live.

So friends, in life we all need to use our “GPS” to direct us towards our goals and desires.

As the Roman philosopher Seneca said: “Our plans miscarry if they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”

So many of us just move about aimlessly in this life. We lack a sense of purpose, a sense of direction and vision. Author Dr Stephen Covey said: “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that steps you take are always in the right direction.”

Sometimes we get bogged down with many of life’s daily challenges, setbacks and disappointments so that we are unable to choose which direction we would like to go professionally, personally and spiritually. I firmly believe that when our relationship with God is weak or non-existent, our ability to clearly decide on what we want or where we would like to see ourselves in the not too distant future is severely hampered. As a matter of fact, for me GOD means “Good Orderly Direction” in my life. Without Him, I am nothing. As the song says, “I know that I can make it, I know that I can stand, no matter what may come my way my life is in your hands.”

As the poet Oliver Wendell Holmes said: “The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving”.

Today, now more than ever, we truly need to set the direction in our lives that will lead to the outcomes that we desire. We need to be very persistent and focused on what our future will look like. I strongly suggest that we wear blinders on our eyes like the championship race horses in the Kentucky Derby.

It was American philosopher Henry David Thoreau who said, “If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams and endeavours to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary, new, universal and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him: or the old laws be expanded and interpreted in his favour in a more liberal sense and he will live with the licence of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty, poverty, nor weakness, weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost, that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

The GPS navigational system that I used during my vacation in California was excellent. I wanted to visit Dr Robert Schuler’s church in Garden Grove, and again we simply punched in Garden Grove into the GPS and we were off to the world-famous Crystal Cathedral. My wife is a huge Los Angeles Lakers fan, so we were able to visit the Staples Centre where the Lakers play.

Yoga sage Patanjali said: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extra ordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

As you continue to travel in this life set the direction that truly will take you to your desired destination. A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed. It feels an impulsion. This is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond the horizons.

As you navigate this life, remember the words of psychiatrist and best-selling author M Scott Peck: “Two roads diverged into a wood and I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference.”

• Spence M Finlayson is the founder and CEO of The Phoenix Institute For Positive Development, a human resources development firm based in Nassau. He can be reached at 601-6162 or by e-mail at phoenixinstitute@gmail.m. His website is spencefinlayson.com.